Sony MHS-PM1 Webbie HD First Impressions Camcorder Review

by Jeremy Stamas
Published on Jan 9, 2009 1:50 PM

 
Intro Audio
Compression & Media
Manual Controls
Still Features Handling & Use
Playback & Connectivity Other Features
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings



Auto Mode
The Sony MHS-PM1 Webbie HD doesn't have any manual controls, so the camcorder's auto mode is its only mode. This lack of manual controls in commonplace in the ultra-compact camcorder market and you'll notice the same thing on the Flip MinoHD, Creative Vado, RCA Small Wonder, and Kodak Zi6.

Overall, the camcorder worked well with auto controls. The fixed lens kept most images in focus as long as they weren't too close to the camcorder. The auto exposure worked quickly, but was a bit jittery when going from dark to bright scenes (the exposure adjusted everything all at once, rather than supplying smooth transitions). The MHS-PM1 didn't tend to over-compensate when shooting brightly-lit or very dark scenes (something the RCA Small Wonder and Creative Vado had difficulty with). The auto white balance feature was difficult to analyze on the floor at CES as there were so many different light sources illuminating Sony's booth. Even so, the colors looked decent under the plethora of lights and no major discoloration or errors were noticeable.

Low Light Modes
The MHS-PM1 has a low light scene mode that appears to slow the shutter of the device in order to brighten the image. The camcorder's sister model, the MHS-CM1, comes with a video light just beneath the lens.

Scene Modes
The MHS-PM1 has the following scene modes: sports, landscape, low light (as mentioned above), and backlight. The availability of scene modes is something that sets the MHS-PM1 apart from its competition—none of the other pocket-sized HD cams have these settings (except Sony's other Webbie HD model, the MHS-CM1).

Zoom
Just like the Flip Mino, the MHS-PM1 has a fixed lens and therefore has no optical zoom capability. The zoom toggle on the back of the camcorder will perform a digital zoom, but it distorts image quality greatly. For its part, the toggle works decently and is comfortable to manipulate.

Zoom Ratio
The camcorder has a 4x digital zoom only.

Focus
No manual focus options are available on the MHS-PM1, which makes sense because the camcorder has a fixed lens.

Exposure
Manual exposure cannot be performed on the camcorder. One of the automatic scene settings does adjust for backlight compensation, however, but it does not allow for manual adjustment.

Aperture
Aperture cannot be adjusted on the MHS-PM1.

Shutter Speed
No direct control over shutter speed is available on the MHS-PM1.

White Balance
Manual white balance cannot be performed on the camcorder.

Gain
There are no gain settings on the camcorder.

Color & Image Control
No color or image controls are found on the camcorder.

Other Manual Controls
Live Histogram - Interestingly, the MHS-PM1 has the option of displaying a live histogram when the camcorder is in use. When the histogram is on, it automatically changes as you point the camcorder to differently lit scenes. Pressing the display button (pushing the joystick up) toggles the histogram on and off. The histogram feature is interesting, but it doesn't seem like the most useful feature to add to the tiny camcorder—especially since exposure and aperture are not adjustable.



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